216 research outputs found
The window period of NEUROGENIN3 during human gestation
The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, NEUROG3, is critical in causing endocrine commitment from a progenitor cell population in the developing pancreas. In human, NEUROG3 has been detected from 8 weeks postconception (wpc). However, the profile of its production and when it ceases to be detected is unknown. In this study we have defined the profile of NEUROG3 detection in the developing pancreas to give insight into when NEUROG3- dependent endocrine commitment is possible in the human fetus. Immunohistochemistry allowed counting of cells with positively stained nuclei from 7 wpc through to term. mRNA was also isolated from sections of human fetal pancreas and NEUROG3 transcription analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction. NEUROG3 was detected as expected at 8 wpc. The number of NEUROG3-positive cells increased to peak levels between 10 wpc and 14 wpc. It declined at and after 18 wpc such that it was not detected in human fetal pancreas at 35-41 wpc. Analysis of NEUROG3 transcription corroborated this profile by demonstrating very low levels of transcript at 35-41 wpc, more than 10-fold lower than levels at 12-16 wpc. These data define the appearance, peak and subsequent disappearance of the critical transcription factor, NEUROG3, in human fetal pancreas for the first time. By inference, the window for pancreatic endocrine differentiation via NEUROG3 action opens at 8 wpc and closes between 21 and 35 wpc
Pentaquark as Kaon-Nucleon Resonance
Several recent experiments have reported evidence for a narrow feature in the
K(+)-neutron system, an apparent resonant state ~ 100 MeV above threshold and
with a width < 25 MeV. This state has been labelled as Theta(+) (previously as
Z(*)), and because of the implied inclusion of a anti-strange quark, is
referred to as a pentaquark, that is, five quarks within a single bag. We
present an alternative explanation for such a structure, as a higher angular
momentum resonance in the isospin zero K(+) -N system. One might call this an
exit channel or a molecular resonance. In a non-relativistic potential model we
find a possible candidate for the kaon-nucleon system with relative angular
momentum L=3, while L=1 and 2 states possess centrifugal barriers too low to
confine the kaon and nucleon in a narrow state at an energy so high above
threshold. A rather strong state-dependence in the potential is essential,
however, for eliminating an observable L=2 resonance at lower energies.Comment: 4 page
- and -hypernuclei
- and -hypernuclei are studied in the quark-meson
coupling (QMC) model. Comparisons are made with the results for
-hypernuclei studied in the same model previously. Although the scalar
and vector potentials felt by the , and in
the corresponding hypernuclei multiplet which has the same baryon numbers are
quite similar, the wave functions obtained, e.g., for state, are
very different. The baryon density distribution in
Pb is much more pushed away from the center than that for
the in Pb due to the Coulomb force. On the contrary,
the baryon density distributions in -hypernuclei are
much larger near the origin than those for the in the corresponding
-hypernuclei due to its heavy mass. It is also found that level
spacing for the single-particle energies is much smaller than that
for the and .Comment: Latex, 14 pages, 4 figures, text was extended, version to appear in
Phys. Rev.
Moderating influences on the firm's strategic orientation-performance relationship
This paper is focused on the factors that moderate the relationship between firm's strategic orientation and performance in small and medium-sized firms. Much prior research has focused simply on identifying environmental conditions conducive to the effectiveness of the strategic orientation approach. However, recent research has called for studies focused on investigating internal moderators of the strategic orientation-performance relationship. As a result, we propose a contingency framework, considering how corporate and competitive strategies, top management characteristics, and environmental conditions may moderate this relationship. Based on a survey of 295 small and medium sized enterprises pertaining to seven manufacturing sectors, our study shows that the positive influence of firm's strategic orientation may be moderated by the environment conditions, the previous experience of top management team, and the corporate and competitive strategies developed by the firm
Experimental and Theoretical Challenges in the Search for the Quark Gluon Plasma: The STAR Collaboration's Critical Assessment of the Evidence from RHIC Collisions
We review the most important experimental results from the first three years
of nucleus-nucleus collision studies at RHIC, with emphasis on results from the
STAR experiment, and we assess their interpretation and comparison to theory.
The theory-experiment comparison suggests that central Au+Au collisions at RHIC
produce dense, rapidly thermalizing matter characterized by: (1) initial energy
densities above the critical values predicted by lattice QCD for establishment
of a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP); (2) nearly ideal fluid flow, marked by
constituent interactions of very short mean free path, established most
probably at a stage preceding hadron formation; and (3) opacity to jets. Many
of the observations are consistent with models incorporating QGP formation in
the early collision stages, and have not found ready explanation in a hadronic
framework. However, the measurements themselves do not yet establish
unequivocal evidence for a transition to this new form of matter. The
theoretical treatment of the collision evolution, despite impressive successes,
invokes a suite of distinct models, degrees of freedom and assumptions of as
yet unknown quantitative consequence. We pose a set of important open
questions, and suggest additional measurements, at least some of which should
be addressed in order to establish a compelling basis to conclude definitively
that thermalized, deconfined quark-gluon matter has been produced at RHIC.Comment: 101 pages, 37 figures; revised version to Nucl. Phys.
3D MHD Simulations of Laboratory Plasma Jets
Jets and outflows are thought to be an integral part of accretion phenomena
and are associated with a large variety of objects. In these systems, the
interaction of magnetic fields with an accretion disk and/or a magnetized
central object is thought to be responsible for the acceleration and
collimation of plasma into jets and wider angle flows. In this paper we present
three-dimensional MHD simulations of magnetically driven, radiatively cooled
laboratory jets that are produced on the MAGPIE experimental facility. The
general outflow structure comprises an expanding magnetic cavity which is
collimated by the pressure of an extended plasma background medium, and a
magnetically confined jet which develops within the magnetic cavity. Although
this structure is intrinsically transient and instabilities in the jet and
disruption of the magnetic cavity ultimately lead to its break-up, a well
collimated, knotty jet still emerges from the system; such clumpy morphology is
reminiscent of that observed in many astrophysical jets. The possible
introduction in the experiments of angular momentum and axial magnetic field
will also be discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Astrophysics and Space Science for
Special Issue High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophysics Conferenc
Titan's cold case files - Outstanding questions after Cassini-Huygens
Abstract The entry of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft into orbit around Saturn in July 2004 marked the start of a golden era in the exploration of Titan, Saturn's giant moon. During the Prime Mission (2004–2008), ground-breaking discoveries were made by the Cassini orbiter including the equatorial dune fields (flyby T3, 2005), northern lakes and seas (T16, 2006), and the large positive and negative ions (T16 & T18, 2006), to name a few. In 2005 the Huygens probe descended through Titan's atmosphere, taking the first close-up pictures of the surface, including large networks of dendritic channels leading to a dried-up seabed, and also obtaining detailed profiles of temperature and gas composition during the atmospheric descent. The discoveries continued through the Equinox Mission (2008–2010) and Solstice Mission (2010–2017) totaling 127 targeted flybys of Titan in all. Now at the end of the mission, we are able to look back on the high-level scientific questions from the start of the mission, and assess the progress that has been made towards answering these. At the same time, new scientific questions regarding Titan have emerged from the discoveries that have been made. In this paper we review a cross-section of important scientific questions that remain partially or completely unanswered, ranging from Titan's deep interior to the exosphere. Our intention is to help formulate the science goals for the next generation of planetary missions to Titan, and to stimulate new experimental, observational and theoretical investigations in the interim
On ecological conceptualizations of perceptual systems and action systems
This article examines Gibson's concept of perceptual system and Reed's concept of action system. After discussing several assumptions underlying these concepts, the ontological status of these systems is considered. It is argued that perceptual systems and action systems should be conceptualized neither as parts of an animal's body nor as softly (temporarily) assembled devices; rather, they are best understood as animals' abilities to achieve functional relationships, that is, as dispositional properties. This conceptualization entails that these systems are relatively permanent properties of the animal that are causally supported by, though not identical to, anatomical substrates. Further, it entails that it is the animal that perceives and acts, not its perceptual and action systems
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